Shunting track in a transport device

ABSTRACT

A shunt track is provided in a transport device for drawing in a length of material through the use of a drawing mechanism which is guided by the track. The shunt track includes a first guide section with one end that is selectively alignable with a second or a third guide section. A second end of the first guide section is fixed in place.

The present invention is directed to a shunt of a transport device. Theshunt has at least one guide section that can selectively be broughtinto flush alignment with the start of a second or a third guidesection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A shunt for draw-in elements being guided in a guide element is known,inter alia, from DE 196 21 507 C1. In one embodiment of this priordevice, sections of varied curvature are arranged on a disk, which diskcan be rotated by the use of an actuating element. A shunt is shown inanother representation, wherein a guide element, which is arranged inthe area of a fork and which is rotatable around a center of rotation,in a first position guides the draw-in device into a first transporttrack and, in a second position, guides the draw-in device into a secondtransport track.

DE 42 22 090 C2 discloses a shunt for sorting sheets of paper intodifferent compartments of a copier. Sorting guides, which have a curvedshape, can be pivoted, by the use of a solenoid, around a fixed centerof rotation into the line along which the paper falls.

EP 0 418 903 A2 discloses a shunt for a draw-in device, in which, in thecourse of a change from a first to a further draw-in path, a fixed guidesection is maintained independently of the position of the shunt. Arelative movement between at least two of the partial sectionsconstituting the guide section is required for changing the draw-inpath.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is directed to providing a shunt ofa transport device.

In accordance with the invention, this object is attained by providing ashunt that has a first guide section which has one end that canselectively be brought into flush alignment with the start of at least asecond or a third guide section while an area of the first guide sectionis fixed in place and thus remains as a guide section. The end of thefirst guide section can be brought into flush alignment by reversibledeformation. Alternatively, a portion of the first guide section ispivotable by the provision of at least one hinge.

The advantages to be gained by the present invention lie, in particular,in that a shunt is created, which can be produced simply andcost-effectively and which is flexibly usable.

Because of the capability of simply constructing and installing theshunt, it can be matched to the existing conditions or circumstancesdirectly at its place of employment, if desired, without any largeoutlay. The shunt can be employed in many ways and without a largeoutlay, since no differently preassembled, for example differentlycurved, guide sections need to be completely exchanged between twointerfaces. Instead, an existing guide section can be deflectable atonly one end in accordance with the existing requirements and can beretained in a deflected position.

Furthermore, the shunt is not sensitive to dirt and requires littlemaintenance. This is true, in particular, in an embodiment of the shuntwhich does not require hinges or the like.

Depending on the requirements or on the existing local conditions, thedrive mechanism for the shunt can be embodied in the form of a cylinder.The cylinder can be charged with a pressure medium, or can also beelectrically actuable.

In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the guide hastwo strips of material which are located almost parallel opposite toeach other in the area of the shunt. These two strips of material can bereversibly bent and are embodied without a “back” connecting the stripsof material in the entire area of the shunt. Material strips which havean almost rectangular, non-profiled cross section are particularlyadvantageous.

If the shunt is employed within a guide device for a conveyor chain,strips or spacers, which are spaced apart from each other in thetransport direction, are advantageous in the area of the “back”, i.e. onthe side of guide device opposite the web of material to be drawn in. Aslight profiling of the surfaces facing each other, i.e. of the runningsurfaces of the rollers, is also advantageous.

Together with draw-in devices that are embodied in the manner of a belt,the guide device can also have actuating members in the form ofresilient elements or lift cylinders in the area of the shunt, whichmaintain the belt in a guided manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is represented in thedrawings and will be described in greater detail in what follows.

Shown are in:

FIG. 1, a schematic representation of a device for use in drawing in aweb of material, in

FIG. 2, an enlarged view of a portion of the device in accordance withFIG. 1, in

FIG. 3, the device for drawing in a web of materials in accordance withFIG. 1, in cross section, in

FIG. 4, an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the device inaccordance with FIG. 3, and in

FIG. 5, a shunt in accordance with the present invention for use in adevice for drawing in a web of material in accordance with FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A device for use in drawing in a start of a web of material isrepresented schematically in FIG. 1. A web draw-in device 03 is providedfor drawing in a web 01 of material, for example a web 01 embodied inthe form of a paper web wound up on a roll 02, into a machine, which isnot specifically represented, for example a rotary printing press. Adraw-in belt is used as the transporting mechanism 04, for example asthe draw-in mechanism 04, into the web draw-in device 03, which draw-inbelt can be wound onto a reel 07 which is driven in the direction shownby the movement arrow 06 and can be guided through the rotary printingpress, which is not specifically represented, along a desired draw-intrack in a guide element 08, which is depicted in a broken-open view inFIG. 1.

If a roll change is executed, or if a partial web draw-in is requiredafter a web break, the draw-in mechanism 04 is pushed, starting at thedownstream or second end 09 of the guide element 08, by operation of thedrive mechanism of the reel 07 in a counterclockwise direction throughthe guide element 08 until a connecting assembly 11, for example adraw-in tip connecting assembly 11, at the upstream or first end 12 ofthe guide element 08 extends out of the area of the roll changer, or isarranged in the area of the web break. Then the start of the web 01 ofmaterial is connected with the draw-in mechanism 04 and is pulled in aclockwise direction along the desired draw-in path through the rotaryprinting press by operation of the drive mechanism of the reel 07.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged portion of the web draw-in device 03 in thearea of the downstream or second end 09 of the guide element 08. Theguide element 08 is constituted by two strips of material 13, 14 made,for example, from sheets of spring-steel, wherein the draw-in mechanism04 is guided in a guide groove 16, which is formed by the strips ofmaterial 13, 14, and which guide groove 16 is bordered on the one sideby a lateral frame 17. The guide element 08 can also be made of otherstrip-shaped components, such as flat roller cages.

Holder elements 18, 19, as seen in FIG. 4, are arranged in pairs. Eachholder element 18, 19 has one leg which is secured on the outside of oneof the strips of material 13, 14, and has a second leg which is fixed onthe lateral frame 17. These holder elements 18, 19 are used for fixingthe strips of material 13, 14 in place, for example, in the area of thelateral frame 17.

The guide groove 16, which is constituted by the strips of material 13,14, is open on a side 21 located opposite the lateral frame 17, as maybe seen in FIG. 4, which open side 21 of guide groove 16 is provided sothat the draw-in mechanism 04, or a draw-in tip portion of the draw-inmechanism 04, which is not specifically represented, can exit the guidegroove 16 in accordance with its width at this open side location 21during the draw-in process.

As represented in FIG. 3 the web 01 of material can be pulled, driven bythe draw-in mechanism 04, through a rotary printing press, for exampleabove a paper guide roller 22.

Since the guide groove 16 is formed by the flat, typically smooth-facedand non-profiled strips of materials 13, 14, the guide groove 16 doesnot form guiding contact faces for the lateral face of the draw-inmechanism 04 in the area of the open side 21 of the draw-in mechanism04, so that with long draw-in paths, there is the danger that thedraw-in mechanism 04 might inadvertently exit the guide groove 16 at theopen location 21 and thus could lose its guidance because of this. Toprevent this, actuating members 23, as are schematically represented inFIG. 2, are arranged along the guide element 08 at defined distancesfrom each other. By operation of these actuating members 23 the openside of the guide groove 16 can be closed.

FIG. 4 more clearly depicts the function of the actuating members 23which may be, for example, embodied as short-stroke cylinders 23, in thecourse of the guidance of the draw-in mechanism 04 in the guide groove16. The actuating members 23 can also be embodied as spring elements 23,for example as spring sheet metal plates 23, which maintain the draw-inmechanism 04 in the area of the guide groove 16. During the passage of adraw-in tip, which is not specifically represented, and which isarranged on the draw-in mechanism 04, the actuating members 23 can bebriefly pushed out of the area of the open side 21.

The lifting rod 24 of the actuating member 23, which is embodied as ashort-stroke cylinder 23 can be extended and retracted by remotecontrol, with the extended position being indicated by dashed lines inFIG. 4. If the lifting rod 24 is extended, the draw-in mechanism 04 cancome into contact laterally with the lifting rod 24, so that the exit ofthe draw-in mechanism 04 from the guide groove 16 is dependablyprevented. As soon as the connecting assembly 11, along with a web 01 ofmaterial, arrives in the area of an actuating member 23, the lifting rod24 is retracted, so that the web 01 of material, or the draw-in tip,that is projecting laterally out of the guide groove 16 is not damaged.In the course of pushing the connecting assembly 11 forward from thedownstream or second end 09 of the guide element 08 to the upstream orfirst end 12, all lifting rods 24 along the guide element 08 areextended in order to maintain the draw-in mechanism 04 inside the guidedevice 08 along the draw-in path.

If the actuating member 23 is embodied as a spring element 23, it isadvantageous if it can be displaced along the draw-in direction by theuse of a force component from the connecting assembly 11, the draw-intip, or the web 01 of material, and can be actuated in this way. Afterthe passage of the connecting assembly 11, the draw-in tip, or the web01, the spring element 23 again springs back into the area of the openside 21.

A shunt 26 for redirecting the draw-in mechanism 04 along variousdraw-in tracks in the rotary printing press is represented in FIG. 5.Two additional guide strip sections or guide strips 31, 32 are arrangedopposite a first guide strip section or guide strip 29 formed by thestrips of material 27, 28. For guidance purposes, the strips of material27, 28 have two oppositely located guide faces. These strips of material27 and 28 of the first guide section 29 of FIG. 5 are analogous to thestrips of material 13 and 14 of the guide element 08 of FIGS. 1-4.

In an initial position of the shunt 26, as represented in FIG. 5, thefirst and second guide sections 29, 31, respectively, which are ofcomplementary shape, are located in line with each other, so that thedraw-in mechanism 04 can be guided in a straight line along thecontinuous guide groove 33 being formed by this alignment of the firstand second guide strips or guide sections 29, 31.

A connecting member 37, which is shaped in the form of a letter C, isfastened to adjacent ends 34, 36 of the two strips of material 27, 28 ofthe first guide section 29 and assures that a defined spacing distancebetween the strips of material 27, 28 will be maintained. The connectingmember 37 is furthermore hingedly connected with an actuator 38, whichmay be embodied in the manner of a cylinder 38 which can be charged witha pressure medium, for example as a lift cylinder. Connecting member 37can be displaced downward by controlling the actuator 38.

If a lifting rod 39 of the actuator 38 is extended, the ends 34, 36 ofthe flexible strips of material 27, 28, which, in the first preferredembodiment, are embodied to be reversible and deformable, are pusheddownward by the connecting member 37 until the lower strip end 36 of thefirst guide strip section 29 comes to rest against a lower stop 41. Inthis position, which is indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 5, the firstguide section 29 and the third guide section 32 now form a continuousguide groove 42, in which the draw-in mechanism 04, coming from thefirst guide section 29, can be downwardly deflected. If the direction ofthe shunt 26 is to be changed back to its initial position depicted insolid lines in FIG. 5, the lifting rod 39 is retracted until the upperend 34 of the strip of material 27 comes to rest against an upper stopelement 43 and therefore has again been placed its initial position. Inthis case, an area of the first guide section 29 is not deflected andremains fixed in place. At least the segment of the first guide stripsection 29 between the last holder 18, 19 and the repositionable end 34,36 is embodied to be reversibly deformable, or has at least areas whichare reversibly deformable. Therefore, the transition area from theresiliently deformable portion of the guide section 29, which transitionarea performs a directional change when actuated, to the stationaryportion of the guide section 29, which is, as a rule the section afterlast holder 18, 19, thus constitutes a start 44 of the shunt 26.

In the case of the first guide section 29, which can be resilientlydeformed in at least some areas, the first guide section 29 can also beembodied in one piece instead of using the two oppositely located stripsof material 27, 28. This deformable area then is embodied in the form ofa guide element such as disclosed in DE 43 05 955 C1, for example, nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,396,982, and to whose disclosure explicit reference ismade at this point and which is hereby incorporated by reference. Thenonly one of the two strips of material 27, 28 is embodied to becontinuous, while the other strip of material 28, 27 and a backconnecting the two strips of material 27, 28, has at least one openingwhich allows the bending, i.e. a deformation, of the respective area.This section, or area, is then embodied to be slit, for example.

The guide elements 08 of the guide sections 29, 31, 32 adjoining theshunt area can then be configured in the manner of the guide elements inDE 43 05 955 C1.

Alternatively, or in addition to the resilient deformability of thefirst guide section 29, it is also possible to arrange a hinge 46, 47or, in the case of two individually movable strips of material 27, 26,two hinges 46, 47, which then constitute the start 44 of the shunt 26and which permit pivoting of the shunt 26 so that its movable end willbe aligned selectively with an adjacent end of one of the two adjacentguide strip sections 31 or 32, as depicted in FIG. 5.

The shunt 26 can also be embodied for differently configured guidesections 29, 31, 42, again wherein the two oppositely located guidefaces of a first guide section 29 can be deflected or pivoted togetherand, while maintaining their distance from each other, can beselectively aligned flush with the start of a second or third guidesection 31,32.

The actuator 38 can also be embodied in a different way. For example, itcan be electrically actuable as a mechanically displaceable threadedspindle, or as an electromagnet.

While preferred embodiments of a shunting track in a transport device,in accordance with the present invention, have been set forth fully andcompletely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the artthat various changes in for example, the specific structure of thedraw-in mechanism and of the connecting assembly, as well as in thestructure and operation of the drive for the draw-in mechanism, could bemade without departing from the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention which is accordingly to be limited only by the followingclaims.

1. A shunt of a transport device adapted for drawing in a web ofmaterial comprising: a first guide section having a first end and asecond end; a second guide section having a first end; a third guidesection having a first end; means for shifting said first end of saidfirst guide section selectively into flush alignment with one of saidfirst end of said second guide section and said first end of said thirdguide section while said second end of said first guide section remainsfixed; and a reversibly deformable portion of said first guide sectionintermediate said first guide section movable first end and said firstguide section fixed second end.
 2. The shunt of claim 1 furtherincluding a holder for said first guide section and wherein saidreversibly deformable section is between said holder and said first endof said first guide section.
 3. The shunt of claim 1 wherein said firstguide section includes first and second strips of material located atleast partially parallel each other.
 4. The shunt of claim 3 whereinsaid first and second strips of material can be deflected with respectto each other while maintaining their distances from each other.
 5. Theshunt of claim 3 wherein said first and second strips of material aresheet metal strips.
 6. The shunt of claim 5 wherein said sheet metalstrips are spring steel.
 7. The shunt of claim 3 further including anactuator and wherein said first and second strips of material can bedeflected in the area of said first end of said first guide section bysaid actuator.
 8. The shunt of claim 1 wherein said first guide sectionincludes spaced guide faces which can be deflected in respect to eachother while maintaining a spacing distance from each other.
 9. The shuntof claim 1 wherein said means for shifting said first end of said guidesection includes an actuator.
 10. The shunt of claim 9 wherein saidactuator is a cylinder which can be charged with a pressure medium. 11.The shunt of claim 1 further including a stop element, said first end ofsaid first guide section being engageable with said stop element.
 12. Ashunt of a transport device adapted for drawing in a web of materialcomprising: a first guide section having a first end and a second end;first and second strips of material in said first guide section, saidfirst and second strips of material being located at least partiallyparallel to each other and defining an open side facing a web ofmaterial; an actuating member adapted to close said open side; a secondguide section having a first end; a third guide section having firstend; means for shifting said first end of said first guide sectionselectively into flush alignment with one of said first end of saidsecond guide section and said first end of said third guide sectionwhile said second end of said first guide section remains fixed; and apivotable section of said first guide section intermediate said firstend and said second end of said first guide section, said pivotablesection including at least one hinge.
 13. The shunt of claim 12 whereinsaid first guide section includes spaced guide faces which can bedeflected in respect to each other while maintaining a spacing distancefrom each other.
 14. The shunt of claim 12 wherein said first and secondstrips of material can be deflected with respect to each other whilemaintaining their distances from each other.
 15. The shunt of claim 12wherein said first and second strips of material are sheet metal strips.16. The shunt of claim 15 wherein said sheet metal strips are springsteel.
 17. The shunt of claim 12 further including an actuator andwherein said first and second strips of material can be deflected in thearea of said first end of said first guide section by said actuator. 18.A shunt of a transport device adapted for drawing in a web of materialcomprising: a first guide section having a first end and a second end;first and second strips of material in said first guide section, saidfirst and second strips of material being located at least partiallyparallel to each other, said first guide section defined by said firstand second strips of material including an open side facing a web ofmaterial, and further including an actuating member adapted to closesaid open side; a second guide section having a first end; a third guidesection having a first end; means for shifting said first end of saidfirst guide section selectively into flush alignment with one of saidfirst end of said second guide section and said first end of said thirdguide section while said second end of said first guide section remainsfixed; and a reversibly deformable portion of said first guide sectionimmediate said first guide section movable first end and said firstguide section fixed second end.